


An Experiment in Blushing

by therachelleb



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-27
Updated: 2014-04-27
Packaged: 2018-01-20 23:45:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1530173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therachelleb/pseuds/therachelleb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU where Sherlock doesn't have John and lost Molly to Tom. The new mortician, Clara, who took Molly's position is thrust into Sherlock's world and promptly becomes part of one of his experiments. Clara finds herself falling for Sherlock but how can she expect it to last?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Watch out for the Eastern Wind

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story in progress. I write on it when I can so there may be some long periods between new chapters. This is my first time writing something this long, complicated, and with some sex. I welcome advice and helpful critiques.

_Body Found along the Thames_ read the headline. The article went to on to describe how a woman was found when the tide went down on the banks of the Thames. The body was tied up with barbwire and anchored to a cinder block. The detective inspector hypothesized that the poor woman was alive when she was dropped into the river and died from drowning and injuries from the barbwire. She found the interesting portions of the article and memorized them for later. She dug in her backpack again and found an old apple and sighed as the car came to a stop. She got off and walked in a daze toward Bart’s to start her day. She was lost in thought about the unsolved murders and how they almost seemed connected even though no evidence was given in news to link them. She changed into her lab coat and met up with her supervisor, getting debrief on the cases she had today.

She was relieved when she could finally stop talking and walk into the morgue. She loved the silence in the room. It was peaceful for her when she couldn’t stop her mind from racing. She had few friends because of her introverted nature and she often found herself having conversations with the bodies she tended each day seeking connection.

Today she had an easy caseload that allowed her mind to wander. She was working with a male, late sixty, who died from cardiomyopathy when the door to the lab burst open and a tall slender figure glided into the room.  She snapped her head up and found herself looking into blue green eyes. She was startled and jumped back dropping the heart she was holding onto the floor. When she jumped back she was able to see the whole person that invaded her peaceful space and was causing chaos around her lab. The figure belonged to a man, approximately six foot, wearing a long black trench coat, blue scarf, and stylish black suit. He was pale with a sharp face accented by defined cheekbones. The most unsettling thing was how piercing his eyes were. They stripped everything away from her and though they hadn’t said a word she felt naked and exposed. She observed this man in a matter of seconds and by the time she gained control of herself this man was already removing his riding crop from his coat and unrolling a recent corpse from the freezer.

“Hey! What do you think you are doing?!” she finally choked out. The figure glanced her way with indifference then continued on beating the corpse with the riding crop.

“Hey! I asked you a question and I expect an answer!” she stated with more vigor.

“I am not concerned with you, nor do I wish to take time out of my schedule to try and explain to you why I am doing this for your intellect would never be able to comprehend it” the man stated.

He continued on with the riding crop for another thirty or forty seconds while she tried to wrap her mind around if she should feel embarrassed or enraged. When she decided that she was enraged at this man for his obvious putdown he had stormed out of the morgue texting on his phone as he hid the riding crop back into this coat. She was left standing there confused with a body beginning to show signs of trauma hematoma to the arms and abdomen and no idea what to do with it.

She stood there baffled for a few minutes and then decided to try and straighten up the mess that was left in the wake of the storm. She began to pick up the tags that fell off the patients fingers and toes and reattach them to the body. She started to place the limbs back on the table and tuck the feet into the black body bag when she heard the door to her lab swing open again and a strong baritone voice commanded her to “stop touching that body”. She immediately obeyed and spun around into the face of that strange man.

He didn’t show any inclination of being angry with her he just glanced her up and down and she started to stammer “I-I’m sorr-“.

He walked around her toward the body and said “Don’t try and speak, it’s painful watching your form a thought.”

His voice was smooth like silk with a musical quality that struck her core. She found that she wasn’t feeling hurt by his comment but more intrigued as to what this man was doing in her lab. She watched him as he pulled out a pocket magnifying glass and looked over the bruises that formed on the body below him. She began to wonder what he was looking for and she found herself closing the gap between them and peering over his shoulder. His body stiffened as her energy invaded his. He stood up suddenly almost smacking his head on her face as she moved out of the way. He turned toward her and focused those green blue eyes on her once again making her uncomfortable.

“You have questions” he stated plainly.

“I-I was just wondering what you were doing here” she stammered. She wished she sounded more confident.

“Working a case and using this cadaver as evidence to prove how a person was murdered” he stated plainly.

“Oh. but how did you get in here?” she asked in reply.

He began to look annoyed and stated hurriedly “because Molly Hooper used to let me in here all the time and I needed a lab that I was used to.”

It suddenly dawned on her that this was the man that Molly talked about before she left Bart’s to be with her husband, Tom. She was shocked it had almost been six months since Molly left and this man never showed up before. From what Molly had said about him he would’ve been in everyday and she should be expecting him. She had completely forgot about, what was his name, Holmes something…

“Sherlock” he calmly said from the door as he was leaving “the name is Sherlock Holmes” and he disappeared.

She was left standing confused and alone once again. Her mind was racing and she couldn’t figure out what had just happened. The most unsettling thing about the whole interaction was not how he abused fresh cadavers or came and went without a moments notice, no, it was that he somehow knew what she was thinking and answered her before she could even ask him who he was. She finished her cases for the day and waited until the last moment before cleaning up the cadaver Sherlock had been abusing. He did not storm in this time and she breathed out in relief when she was able to leave Bart’s and head home. She got the tube absent minded, stopped by the store for some more milk, and then walked home. She got inside her flat and set a pot to boil. She got into her shower and began to wash the smell of death and formaldehyde from her skin. She felt calm and refreshed after her shower and went to finish making her tea as she heard the pot begin to cry out. She spent the evening sitting on the couch watching ‘craptelly and found her thoughts wandering to the crazy man who barged in on her lab. She found she remembered more about him than she did before. The way he moved, cat like, and graceful as he entered the lab, his penetrating gaze that seemed to strip her defenses. She felt so exposed when he looked at her. It was like he knew everything about her and she didn’t even have to say a word. It brought back that uncomfortable feeling again so she decided to go to sleep.

The next morning she had completely forgot about Sherlock Holmes and began her day as normal. She got to work and started on her daily cases. It hadn’t been ten minutes into her first case and the lab door swung open and Sherlock waltzed in. She stood up and made eye contact with him. He broke her gaze and moved over to the tools she had laid out for her case and began taking items off the table and placing them into a black bag he was carrying.

She stared at him for a few seconds and then blurted out “What the hell?”

He looked up and replied “I need these for a case, don’t worry they will be returned. I also need to take some eyes for an experiment. Those will not be returned”

She stared at him and then decided it wasn’t worth the effort and continued her work. The slim man stiffened when she didn’t reply and began to make more noise while picking out the items he wanted.

“Could you possibly be a little more quiet?” she asked annoyed, this was after all the second day in a row her peace had been interrupted. She caught him smirking just slightly as he turned away from her.

 _“God he is annoying, I can see why Molly left”_ she thought to herself.

She continued to focus on her case and almost forgot that Sherlock was in the room until he came up beside her peering over her shoulder and said in his silken voice “It’s not that difficult. She died from a aortic aneurysm that ruptured when she fell down the stairs.”

She looked up from her work and eyed him curiously. “How can you even know that? I just started” she replied.

“It’s not hard to tell. The carpet burns on her knees and ankle show that she fell to the right down probably four or five, no four, definitely four stairs, and judging from the pool of blood in her abdomen an aortic aneurysm is the most likely scenario” he calculated smoothly.

She noticed that she became lost in his voice part way through his speech. She could smell his lavender soap and the stale smell of cigarettes on his coat. She regained her composure quickly but found him eying her reaction with the smallest of smirks.

“Well thanks I guess. I still have to complete the autopsy though. What if you missed something?” she questioned. He stood up abruptly with a look composed of shock that was quickly masked with indifference.

“Very well” he muttered and picked up the black bag, grabbed the student eye dissection jar, and walked out of the lab.

“ _This is going to take some getting used to”_ she thought to herself.

An hour later she came to same conclusion as Sherlock, though without the knowledge of the stairs, that came from the patient’s husband. She pondered how Sherlock could have known all that just by looking at a patient.

She returned home just as normal that evening. Started her tea, took her shower, and turned on the telly. She began to let her mind wander in her drowsiness and noticed her thoughts turning toward Sherlock Holmes. She began to replay his conversation with her and decided his voice was like dark chocolate, smooth, silken and seductive. She thought about his perfect jawline, porcelain skin, and dark curls. She then nodded off the sleep with images of Sherlock standing behind her and whispering into her ear.  


	2. Chapter 2: Saftey In Numbers

She woke up late, threw up her hair in a messy bun, and ran out the door. She arrived at work an hour late and now had cases backed up. She sighed and began her work hoping that she might get a few easy cases to help with the workload. She was so busy she hadn’t realized the time and found she worked over by two hours when the lab door opened and Sherlock came sauntering in. He held the black bag and began to put the tools away in their respective place without noticing her. She sat back and watched. He moved with methodical precision, adept hands knowing where each tool went, he seemed distracted and often mumbled to himself. She sat there in awe of this insensible man who was so focused on his task at hand that he didn’t realize she was there. She saw a different side of him during those few moments. She could see the puzzlement cross his mind and the hints of some emotion cross that porcelain face. In what seemed like an eternity he finally turned around and faced her. He couldn’t hide the look of surprise on his face though it was quickly wiped away and replaced with a cold stare. She just sat there watching him and said nothing. She wasn’t embarrassed but did feel uncomfortable with the intensity he was directing toward her.

“I did not know anyone was here. Usually everyone has gone home,” he said showing the slightest sign of being uncomfortable. She sat quietly just watching and listening.

“Well I guess I’ll be going unless you want some help with those cases you are working on. Today has been frightfully boring and I could use some distractions” he asked almost inaudibly except that she had been so still she heard the words barely above a whisper.

She just nodded and motioned to the three patients she had laid out next to her. She did not move and let him examine each patient. She sat back and watched how he moved around each body, intent on figuring out what happened to each of them. She became enamored with the little twitches in his face as he pondered different scenarios of the patient’s death.

She watched him for what felt like hours but in reality were only minutes. He stood up and looked at her, just looked, this time she didn’t feel uncomfortable. His gaze was more of curiosity without so much judgment. She just sat there allowing him to analyze her. His face didn’t change while he watched her. He gave nothing away. After what seemed like an eternity he broke the silence, “It looks like the normal. Two cardiomyopathy’s which is normal for their age and race and one mildly interesting brain hemorrhage due to a contact sport, most likely hockey judging by the bruises on his shoulders and sides”.

She just sat there watching him like a child who wished she could know how he came to those conclusions. As the silence extended on, her gaze never wavering from his, he began to shift uncomfortably and tugged on the cuffs of his shirt and cleared his throat.

“Thanks” she said and got up and started putting the patients back into their bags and rolled into the freezer.

She could feel him watching her but he didn’t speak so she just continued on with cleaning up the lab. When she finished she looked up into those intense eyes and just held his gaze. She liked how the longer she stared into his eyes the more she lost touch of where she was. There was something so mesmerizing about how he was able to hold such intensity even when he was clearly becoming uncomfortable. She eventually looked away and grabbed her coat and bag. She walked toward the lab door and could feel him walk along behind her, eyes boring into her back.  

She continued down the hall to the exit of the hospital all the while hearing Sherlock’s footsteps behind her. She began to feel a bit uncomfortable and wondered if she should turn around and say something to him. She didn’t fancy having him berate her before she went home after such a long day so she willed herself forward, not looking back. As she reached the tube station she was starting to worry. He was still behind her, not saying anything just walking. She realized she knew nothing about this man and cursed herself for not being more careful. She began to stiffen as she became more aware of how close he actually was to her. She entered the station and walked down the stairs ending up on the platform. She heard his footsteps echo as he followed her down the stairs.

She was on the verge of freaking out as he approached her from behind. She could feel his body close to hers and her heart began to race. She realized she was clutching her backpack straps harder than she needed to.

“Relax,” he cooed as he leaned down to whisper in her ear “I’m not the one you should be scared of”.

She started at the unannounced voice by her ear, clearly agitated by his closeness.

“What are you talking about?” she snipped, letting her agitation come forth.

“I followed you because that man over there has been tailing you since you left Bart’s” he whispered shifting his body closer to hers, letting his head lean closer toward her neck. She shot a glance down the platform and did indeed see man in a black leather jacket staring at them.

“It’s ok just follow my lead,” he whispered wrapping his arms around her waist pulling her into him. She inhaled sharply at the touch but allowed him to embrace her. He nuzzled his face into her neck and hair, kissing her neck right below her ear. She sighed and let out a soft moan. She found herself slipping further into Sherlock’s embrace letting him wrap her in his coat. She lost track of time and was consumed by the soft, warm breath on her neck. She inhaled deeply consumed with the closeness of him. She felt his hands on her waist, large strong hands that gripped her with force. Suddenly, he pulled away almost dropping her as she stumbled to regain her balance without his support.

“He’s left, clearly not going to attempt to rob you tonight.” He said giving the smallest of glances toward her. She fumbled trying to process what just happened and Sherlock interjected with irritation

“Well clearly he was going to rob you. Not hard to overtake a small woman who is not focused on anything while walking alone to the tube. Not to mention the knife he had in his pocket.”

She opened her mouth to speak but her mind had nothing to say. She was still lost in the lingering warmth of his body against hers.

“There is no need to thank me. I was headed the same way as you and it is a lot easier to prevent a crime than to intercede when it’s occurring.” He said glancing toward the upcoming train.

She didn’t have time to respond to him before the car doors opened and she watched him cross onto the train. She snapped out of her stupor just in time to cross the platform before the train doors closed. She saw Sherlock sitting in one of the chairs along the back of the car, texting on his phone, not even looking in her direction. She shifted slightly as the train began to move. She walked slowly toward him and took the seat across from him.

“Thank you” she said plainly. He glanced up meeting her gaze then looking away back toward his phone. She sat across from him watching for any reaction but received none.

“So, that was just a way to help me out?” she asked cocking her head slightly as to get him to look up at her.

“Nope, that was me avoiding a conflict that I don’t need right now.” He replied still focused on the phone.

“Oh” she said embarrassed. She felt a blush creep into her cheeks as she realized how desperate she must have felt leaning onto his kiss and evening letting out a soft moan. She looked away from him trying to get ahold of herself. When she looked back she saw him staring at her. It was that same piercing gaze that stripped her facade.

She shifted in her seat uncomfortably “Umm… yea, so sorry about how I reacted. Thanks for everything” she said not making eye contact.

“Why are you blushing like that?” he asked inquisitively.

She shrugged and replied, “I don’t know. It was just so sudden and you were so warm.” She caught his lips turn up in a smirk before quickly being replaced with a composed face.

“I, umm, I haven’t really been around anyone in a long time and it was nice.” She explained. “Sorry I don’t know why I said that” She fumbled and almost dropped her phone.

“Don’t try to explain” He said with exasperation.

She jerked back, shock and pain plain on her face. She could feel the anger and emotion swelling up. She stood up quickly dropping her phone as she walked away and got off the train three stops before she was supposed to. The tears started as she heard the car doors close behind her. She felt humiliated, stupid, worn out, and extremely alone. She was mostly upset with how she responded to Sherlock’s embrace. She hadn’t let herself feel how lonely she was. She walked home and dropped deeper into her depression.

She walked into her flat hardly noticing that the door was already ajar. She stepped into the foyer and hung up her coat. She desperately wanted a drink and a hot bath and upon entering the kitchen she saw a figure standing in her living room. She screamed and turned to run but felt a strong hand grab her forearm. She trashed around and tried to hit her attacker. The other hand grabbed her face and muffled her scream.

“Quiet!” the silky baritone voice scolded. She shook her head confused she knew that voice but- “I was only returning your phone. You dropped it on the train when you left”.

She suddenly realized who had her and that terrified her even more. She was fully aware now of how close her thrashing had brought her to him. He had her arm still in a vice gripe behind her back turned upward slightly, not enough to hurt but enough to stop her struggling. She became aware of the hot hand covering her mouth. It was large, almost covering her nose and it wrapped around to the edge of her jaw. She looked up knowing whose eyes she would see. She was startled at how close he actually was to her. When she made eye contact with him he suddenly released her backing away. She continued to breath heavily and tried to regain her composure. Sherlock turned around so that she could only see the back of him and placed something on her kitchen table. Without another word he walked out of her flat and she heard her door shut behind him.

She stood immobile grasping onto the counter trying to figure out what just happened. When she finally was able to breath at a normal rate she let her self think. She was so confused about why Sherlock was in her flat. How had he known where she lived? How did he get in? Her brain became flooded with questions as she absently poured herself a scotch. She grabbed her phone off the kitchen table and moved into her bathroom to draw a bath. As the tub filled she downed the rest of her scotch and she finally checked her phone. She had missed two texts from a colleague but nothing was out of the ordinary. She finally got into the tub and let her mind go blank.


	3. Chapter 3: The Experiment Begins

The next morning she woke up in a hurry. She dressed quickly and was almost out the door when she realized it was Saturday and she didn’t have to go to work. Since she was already dressed and hadn’t eaten she headed out the door to her favorite café for breakfast.

The weekend passed with no major events. She did her shopping, read a novel, and avoided thinking about how Sherlock broke into her flat. She didn’t ever want to have that happen again and she certainly didn’t want to think about how easily she has been overtaken. In the past she had participated in self-defense classes and thought that she was pretty well educated in how to defend against an attacker. The incident with Sherlock did not provide proof of that sense. When the images of how he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her while covering her screams flooded her mind she felt so powerless, afraid, and confused. She ended her weekend with happy thoughts that she would soon have to be back at work with something to distract her mind.

She arrived at work on time and with an at ease mind on Monday morning. She had her favorite vanilla latte in her hand and she was feeling good. Her day even looked bright with only five cases all of which were already started by the intern. She smiled to herself as she entered the lab but the smile disappeared as soon as she saw Sherlock standing over one of the corpses she needed to dissect. It wasn’t that he was intruding on the lab that bothered her, no it that fact that he was using a pipette to drip acid onto the persons’ forearm.

“Hey what the hell are you doing!?” she yelled at him. “I haven’t even started on those today and I need them to be as they were for the reports!”

“Oh don’t worry Molly, I already filled out the report and sent it in. I did use your signature again by the way, but it’s all fine now, besides I needed to do this experiment now, a mans’ alibi depends on it” he said without looking up from the acid drip he was holding.

“YOU DID WHAT?” she shouted “MY NAME ISN’T EVEN MOLLY!”

She yelled so loud that it startled Sherlock and the last acid drop to leave the pipette missed its mark. He whipped around glaring at her, obvious anger on his face. He dropped the pipette on the side of the table and strode over to her. She backed away in fear. She knew how hard he could grab her as evidenced by the bruises that were left on her forearm from the weekend. As he got closer she visibly flinched and dropped her latte wrapping her arms around herself while pulling the lab coat sleeves up just enough for the purple and blue bruises to be seen. Sherlock’s eyes flitted downward for a half second and he stopped in his tracks. She met his gaze and for once he didn’t have a mask on. She saw the horror on his face and his breath caught as he looked down to her arm and really looked at the small bruises he could see. She immediately jerked her arms to the side and let the sleeves of her lab coat fall down again. As the sleeve covered the bruises Sherlock looked up and met her gaze, the mask on again but she could still see guilt through them.

“I- ummm- I hadn’t realized- I can fix it- I didn’t send out the report yet it’s on your desk” He stammered “Let me just copy the information” and he shuffled over to her desk and began to write furiously on a new lab report.

She stood there baffled at the change she just saw in him. He literally just dropped all the anger he had for her interrupting the experiment and was shaken by the bruises he saw on her arm. She had thought about them mostly because they were still tender when she had to wash. She picked up her latte off the floor, somehow it hadn’t spilled, and walked up next to her desk and sat in the chair beside it. She watched him write and transfer the information from one form to another. He didn’t look up at her just kept writing furiously.

“It’s ok you know” she said barely above a whisper “I should’ve stopped thrashing and it wouldn’t have bruised”

He stopped writing and slowly lifted his gaze to meet her own. He eyes that looked like galaxies in an ocean met her own and she swore for just a moment she saw pain in them.

“I’m sorry” he whispered “I just wanted to get your phone back to you. I never wanted to harm you”

“I forgive you” she whispered back, and in truth she did. She hadn’t spent time perseverating over the bruises or the incident. She actually kind of liked seeing them on her skin. It was a reminder that he was real and that everything happened from the train to her flat. He continued to look at her and she held his gaze trying to convey with her eyes how she felt. She reached over and rested her hand on his forearm trying to tell him that it really was ok. She felt his muscles tense under his jacket but he did not move away.

“How about we spend some time finishing these five” she nodded toward the freezers “then go and grab a bite to eat? By the way my name is Clara incase you feel the need to write it again”.

With that she stood up and started wheeling out the second person to start dissecting. He watched her for a moment then rose and began to examine the third body. Between the two of them the five were completed by just past midday. She noticed that he had finished long before her but that he continued to finish her paperwork for her though he left the signature space blank each time.

As she rolled in the last body she asked “So where should we go?”

“I know a lovely place just down the road that has great Thai” he replied without looking up from the paperwork. She took off her lab coat and switched into her jacket and grabbed her bag. She watched as he threw on his coat and promptly walked out of the lab without looking for her behind him. She sighed and followed quickly so that she knew where she was expected to be.

It was the end of meal and it consisted of a few small talk questions and a lot of silence. She sat there picking around the left over curry on her plate and noticed that he only had one bite. He stared above her and only made eye contact sparingly when she forced an answer out of him.

“So, this is really awkward. If you didn’t want to come you could’ve just said so” she muttered.

“No it’s not that. I am just not used to having company lately and I am not good with conversation” he replied.

“Oh. Well should we talk about what happened or not.” She asked abruptly.

“Umm well if you would like too-“

“Yes I would. I just want to clarify some things. First off I am not ok with you breaking into my house. I was terrified to find you in there. I thought I was being attacked until I realized it was you. So can we establish some ground rules surrounding this” she motioned to the space between them “because I find you fascinating but I can’t be on edge thinking you could be just pop up at any moment.”

“You find me fascinating?” he asked quizzically

“Well yea. I mean you burst in unannounced, tell me everything that has happened with my work and are accurate even more so than I could ever be. You interest me in how you think and because you are generally weird.” She replied honestly. “I mean the first few times I met you, you ended up snogging my in the subway then acted like it was nothing. Why was that?”

“Well the easiest way to scare off an attacker is to show that the person was cared for so I embraced you to show that you were protected. I was hoping to get out of your flat before you returned but you surprised me. I didn’t want your neighbors to wake to your screaming so I just reacted and I am sorry that it left a mark on you” he replied.

“It’s ok. I had to leave the train so abruptly because what you said just cut through me. I didn’t want you to see me break down. I am usually a very private person and when you showed up in my house I was just so violated” she replied

“I don’t understand. I was trying to give you your phone back isn’t that nicer?” he said.

“Well it is nice but you could’ve rang or waited for me to get home” she replied.

“Oh” was all he said and he stared off behind her.

She sighed audibly, to which she got no response from Sherlock. She was contemplating how she should interact with him next when he asked her out of the blue “So when we were on the train you blushed when you were talking to me. What was that about?”

“I umm well I just felt very exposed. I am usually very private and I don’t really have friends and no boyfriend or anything so it was very startling to have someone be that close to me and to kiss me like that.” She replied.

“But why the blush. Blushing is usually out of arousal or embarrassment and I can’t seem to figure out why you blushed” he stated with frustration.

“I guess it was out of both” she said feeling the blush reach her cheeks immediately after she said it.

“There! You’re doing it again. Is this from embarrassment or arousal? I assume not arousal because we haven’t done anything but talk. Or does talking influence arousal as well?” he looked around wildly chasing thoughts in his head.

“Well now it’s embarrassment. I can’t believe how frank we are being about this conversation. I am just not used to it” she stated.

“So embarrassment causes you to react physically” he said more to himself than to her. She watched him as he got lost in his own mind. She could see the machine kick to life in his mind and she was fascinated at watching him whirl. She lost track of time and eventually the waiter came over and said they needed to leave so that they could set up for the dinner rush. She had spent forty-five minutes watching him think in his head and not said a word. She responded to the waiter and looked back to Sherlock. He was not present and appeared to have not heard a word.

“Sherlock” she said “we need to leave.” He didn’t move or respond to her. “Sherlock” she said again a little more forcefully. Still no response. “Sherlock” she urged and reached over and touched his arm. His other hand reached over and grabbed her forearm harshly. She felt the pinch on her skin and gritted her teeth against the pain.

“Sherlock” she breathed, “it’s just me, Clara, we are in the café and we need to leave” She searched his face trying to make eye contact but he was still elsewhere. His grip tightened when she spoke and she gasped “Sherlock! Please that hurts”. He finally snapped out if it and locked he gaze with hers. He immediately released her and sat back.

“I- I-“ and he abruptly got up and walked out of the café. She got up quickly and followed him outside onto the sidewalk. He hailed a cab and she ran to catch up. She didn’t want to leave him and followed her instinct that something was very wrong. She jumped in the cab as he tried to close the door. He didn’t look at her and continued to stare out of the cab window. The cabbie waited for the address and she looked nervously from Sherlock back to the cabbie.

“410 Bastille St” please she said and cab drove off. Sherlock remained silent for the ride always looking out the window. They arrived at her flat and he exited the cab without paying. She threw a 20 at the driver and jumped out. She raced to the door to unlock it before Sherlock walked right into it. As she shut the door behind him she watched him walk into her flat and sit down on her sofa. She went to the kitchen and started a pot of tea then came back into the room. Sherlock hadn’t moved. She sat down across from him.

“So what was all that about?” she asked.

“I’m sorry. I hurt you again didn’t I?” he asked

“I’m not really concerned about it” she replied, “I want to know what happened and why you reacted that way.”

“I get lost in my mind sometimes and I was trying to think about ways to conduct experiments around human behavior and their physical reactions or manifestations and then suddenly there was a hand on my arm. My initial reaction is to always protect myself in that state so I react defensively which in this situation was grabbing your arm” he stated “Where are we exactly anyway?”

“At my flat, I thought you would recognize it considering” she said “wait you don’t remember getting here?”

“No I thought I was on my way home to Baker St.” he said

“Well you never told the cabbie where you wanted to go so I told him to go here instead” she had no idea what to say and thought that an explanation would help.

“Of course. So while I was thinking I had an idea that I wanted to try an experiment with you surrounding what would make you blush” he stated plainly.

“Umm sure I guess that would be fine” she said with little reservation. She got up to make the tea and Sherlock stopped her by gently grabbing her hand.

“What are you-“ she began but was interrupted by his fingers intertwining into hers. She stared at him wide-eyed and unsure what was going to happen next. He slowly brought her hand up towards his mouth and gently placed a kiss on the back of her hand. She felt the beginnings of a blush start on her cheeks. As he removed her hand from his lips he glanced up at her and cocked his head to the side observing her reaction. He then turned her hand so her palm was facing up and he kissed the inside of her palm keeping his eyes on hers the whole time. The blush on her cheeks got warmer and she knew it would be faintly visible to him by now. He kept his eyes locked on hers and moved her sleeve up over the bruises that he left on her forearm. He slowly kissed each one only taking his eyes off her to gaze at the bruises that matched his fingers. She closed her eyes part way through his kisses and felt the reddening of her cheeks continue down to her neck. Her breathing had changed and she noticed that it hitched every time Sherlock’s lips met her skin.

“I should go get the tea” she whispered but Sherlock didn’t stop. He gently let her hand down and picked up the other arm and lifted up the sleeve. He repeated his movements on this forearm around the newly formed bruises. They were still very tender and she hissed when he first touched her skin. When she opened her eyes she saw him gazing at her with concern on his face. She smiled weakly at him feeling the blush on her neck and cheeks. He sat back observing her reaction then released her arm. She went into the kitchen and placed her hands on the cool counter letting out a large breath and feeling her body shake in the movement. She had not been prepared for that. She slowly righted herself up and noticed Sherlock observing her from the doorway.

“What was that for?” he asked curiosity clear in his voice.

“That was just unexpected” she said her voice wavering. She felt that intense gaze upon her again and turned away as she began to blush again. She immediately felt him move to her side and he turned her face toward his. His gaze was intent but softer than before.

“Is this because of the unexpected or what? Your responses are truly fascinating” he said as he looked over her face while holding her chin in his hand. Upon this statement her blush deepened and she tried to turn away from him but he held her chin. He slowly moved his hand so that he was cradling her head in his hands and he moved closer toward her. She felt his body come closer to hers and she started to breath faster unsure of what was going to happen. He turned her head upwards so that she was looking into his eyes. She became aware of how close he was to her and she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. He slowly leaned toward her and dipped his mouth so that a gentle kiss was placed on her lips. She reveled in the feeling of his soft warm lips on hers. She felt a jolt of electricity as his other hand came up to cradle the other side of her head. She let out a soft moan as he pulled away slightly to observe her reaction.

“That was arousal am I correct?” He whispered

“Yes” she sighed, it was practically a moan, but she wanted to revel in the feeling of being kissed, it had been too long.

“Hmm it seems that your blush gets deeper when you are aroused” he stated as he slowly removed his hands from her head and moved them down her arms. She closed her eyes and focused on the feeing of his large strong hands move down her arms. He shifted and moved one hand around her waist gently pulling her toward him and the other around her upper back supporting her as she moved. She kept her eyes closed and felt him lean in and kiss her with more vigor than before. She felt a sort of urgency building in her stomach and she moved her arms around Sherlock’s neck. She felt him stiffen at her touch but she didn’t care. She intertwined her fingers into his curls and moved one hand down the back of his shirt.

As she stroked into his hair he growled into her mouth and flicked her lower lip with his tongue. She opened her mouth hungry for more. She darted her tongue toward his lips and met his tongue. She moaned as the kiss deepened she felt as if he couldn’t get enough of her. His mouth was hungry for hers and she desperately wanted more from him. His hands ran over her body taking in every curve, stopping on the curve of her butt and gently squeezing. She jerked her hips forward at the touch and pulled his mouth down harder as she moaned. He obviously agreed with that response because she felt both hands on her butt and then he lifted her arse up onto the counter, pushing her legs apart as he stepped closer to her.

She slid herself closer to him so that she could feel her hips around his. She let her hands wander now feeling the strong muscles under his shirt. She instantly wanted more and began to unbutton his shirt slowly finally breaking the kiss so that she could see what was underneath. As she pulled away she noticed his eyes on her, dark with hunger and lust. That look in his eyes sent a jolt of desire down her spine and made her want him even more. She broke the intense gaze to look on the porcelain skin showing through his dark purple shirt. She leaned down and began to kiss along his jawline down his neck toward his collarbone. She touched a sensitive spot and she felt him shudder. She grinned and pulled his shirt off his shoulders. He let it slide down behind him then grabbed her close crashing his mouth onto hers. She was surprised at the veracity of the kiss and whimpered into his lips. He reached up and grabbed at the back of her hair pulling her head back exposing her neck. She whined, as he pulled, faintly aware that it was painful but it just aroused her even more. He bit at her neck not showing any restraint now. She yelped out in shock and pain but he did not stop. She could feel his teeth tearing at the soft skin on her neck right under her throat. It was a possessive act and she knew the bites would leave dark marks for days. She moaned as he moved farther down past her collarbone kissing and biting along the way. He ripped open the blouse she was wearing and she heard the buttons hit the floor. She was exposed to him and he just sat back and observed her for a few moments. She was panting and resting her head back against the cabinets, eyes closed. She was aware of the small bead of sweat that was trickling down her neck.

Something changed and she was aware it was taking too long for him to embrace her again. She lifted her head and opened her eyes to find an empty kitchen around her. She sat upright immediately and hopped off the counter. She ran out into her living room noticing that his coat was gone off the couch and her flat door open. She clung her shirt around her and ran out into the street just barely catching a glimpse of the cab pulling away. She stood in utter amazement in the cold for a solid minute before noticing that people were glancing her way. She realized she must look ridiculous with her torn blouse held around her body and the bruises on her neck and chest. She ran back into her flat and collapsed on the sofa. She sat in disbelief over what had just occurred. She sat on her couch for well over two hours disheveled and just thinking.


	4. Chapter 4: On His Turf

She finally decided she wasn’t going to take this sitting down. She ran into her room and changed her shirt, grabbed a jacket and hailed a cab. She gave the cabbie the address and took off down the street. She exited the cab looking toward a black lacquered door with gold numbers, 221B. She got out of the cab and walked straight up to the door without ringing. She still remembered how to pick a lock and set out to open the door. It took her less than a minute to open the door to the flat and she walked inside. She noticed a door on that main level that read 221A and she glanced up the stairs toward another door. She walked up and hit a squeaky step and she hesitated.

 _“What am I doing?”_ she thought to herself _“Well it’s too late to stop now and he totally broke into my flat the other day.”_ And she continued up the stairs and opened the door. She walked into a living room that was cluttered with books, papers, and science equipment. She saw two chairs and a leather couch. She strode across the room and took a seat in the leather armchair by the fire. She just sat there and waited. She finally looked at the clock on the wall and it read 3am. Her adrenaline started to fade and she began to feel exhausted. She fought sleep but ended up curling her legs into the chair and resting her head on the arm falling into slumber.

She startled herself awake and noticed light streaming in from the windows behind her. She smelled tea and sat up stiff from sleeping in the chair. She noticed a tray with tea and biscuits sitting next to her on the end table with a note that read _Please enjoy. Don’t touch anything. I’ll be back around 12p._ She glanced at the clock and realized it was almost 10am. She immediately called Bart’s and made an excuse as to why she wouldn’t be in today. She made a cup and ate the biscuits and started wandering the flat. She was baffled by the amount of clutter and science experiments scattered around the house. His kitchen table was covered in beakers, test tubes, pipettes, and petri dishes. She walked on the hall and found the bathroom. She decided it wouldn’t hurt and turned on the shower. She noticed the bites on her throat in the mirror and blushed deeply. She looked like a war zone occurred on her neck, dark purple and red splotches some in the shape of circles others in half moons. She undressed quickly and hopped into the warm water.

After her shower she walked into a bedroom that was practically spotless. There were a few books strewn about on the dresser but other than that and the duvet being a mess the bedroom was clean. She left the room and looked at the clock again. It was now 11:30 and she decided to order take away from the Chinese place down the road. It arrived at 12:15 with no sign of Sherlock. She found some plates and washed them and set up on the coffee table in the living room for fear of messing up the kitchen table.

She sat on the couch and waited for him to arrive. She got peckish and decided to begin eating. Halfway through her noodles she heard Sherlock bouncing up the stairs. He swung open the door and glanced in her direction before taking off his coat and sitting in the chair she had slept in the night before. She continued to eat her noodles and watched him.

“So I don’t appreciate you sneaking into my flat last night,” he said turning towards her.

“Well I didn’t like it when you when you broke into mine either. And while we are on the subject I don’t appreciate being properly snogged and marked in my kitchen then left without a word” she replied irritation slipping in on the last few words. She glanced up and saw him take in the bruises on her neck and he looked away quickly.

“That was for the experiment” was all he replied.

“Oh really so marking me up was part of an experiment? No. I know it wasn’t just for that. I saw your eyes and what they wanted. I am not stupid,” She quipped.

He turned toward her locking his eyes with hers and she felt her bravado deflate. She sunk back into the couch and broke his gaze instead looking at the stack of books on the desk nearby.

“Again it was all for data” he finally replied coldly “I consider myself married to my work and everything I do is for more information not personal gain.”

“Wait… so you never do anything for yourself? It’s always for research or a case?” she asked surprised “Is that why you didn’t know what to do when we were at the café?”

“I do acknowledge that I like company when I go out but I guess in response to your questions, yes, I don’t do social things because they tend to mess up my experiments or they simply irritate me” he responded.

“Wow” was all she could muster. She looked up at him again and saw something in his face change but it was back to a stare of indifference in a second. “Why do you do that?” she asked.

“Do what?” he said exasperated.

“Hide what you really mean with this pretentious, indifferent façade when someone gets under your skin?” she said cocking her head sideways genuinely curious. He turned to fully face her and stared at her a combination of steel and curiosity. She held his gaze determined to get an answer.

“Usually people just tell me to “piss off” and get angry when I try to show them what I observe. People do not like parts of themselves exposed that they try to hide, very poorly I might add, and I am poor judge of human nature and what is so called “socially acceptable” when interacting with others. In light of this I tend to keep myself set apart because it’s easier than arguing with someone” he replied. “Why do you keep coming back to me? I have been anything but pleasant and a downright arsehole but here I find you sleeping in my chair in the dark hours of the morning.”

“I find you intriguing” she said honestly “You are brilliant but the way you convey it is fascinating. You push everyone away and expect only harsh words from those you interact with. Yes, you have been quite rude, cut me down, not to mention what you’ve done physically, but I am drawn to you. It’s hard to explain but for some reason you don’t frighten me Sherlock Holmes. I see someone who’s scarred, alone, and starving for connection.”

He gaped at her response for a full minute then immediately got up and walked out of the living room and she heard a door slam down the hallway. She smirked and began to clean up the dishes she had used for lunch. Twenty minutes passed and she realized he wasn’t going to come out of there until she left his flat. She sighed and grabbed her coat and walked herself home. She thought about the interaction on her walk and realized what she felt for him was sorrow. It was true that he irritated the hell out of her, berated her ignorance, and clearly didn’t have any regard for her personal space but underneath all that she realized that she saw her own loneliness reflected in him. When she got home it was dusk and she decided to immediately go to bed, it had been a far too exhausting day.


	5. Chapter 6: Taking Control

Two weeks passed and she didn’t see Sherlock. He didn’t once come into the lab and didn’t show up unannounced at her flat either. She had started to worry but decided against showing up unannounced at his flat. Finally on a Friday afternoon he waltzed into the lab carrying two bags of crisps and a coffee. He flung the crisps at her and set the coffee on her desk. She wasn’t coordinated and both of the bags ended up on the floor as she tried to recover from the onslaught.

“Oh well I have missed this” she said sarcastically while placing the bags on the desk “That’s sarcasm by the way… what took you so long?”

“Busy, lots of cases” he said as he walked over to the freezer “A string of murders has been occupying my time. I hear you have one of the newest victims so I thought I would bring dinner because I’m going to need you for this”

“What do you mean need me?” she asked hesitantly.

“I have quite a few tests that need to be performed and I know from watching your past work you are very meticulous so I decided to let you help with some of the easier ones” he replied as he wheeled out the corpse of a young woman who was badly beaten and her mouth and nose dipped in tar causing her to die from suffocation.

“Oh great that sounds like such a vote of confidence” she smirked but she got up anyway and walked over to where he was standing. Two hours later and about ten tests completed she had found out what Sherlock was looking for.

“Each murder has taken place in the same types of location. If I can narrow it down we may be able to cut him off before the next one” he explained “From what I can see here it’s all old factories that used to produce tires. That’s where all the tar residue is coming from but what is the connection!”

“Well I mean each victim had knowledge about cars” she started

“No, No, NO!” he said in frustration throwing his hands in the air “That’s too easy, it’s something more”

“Well there are only a few of these factories within driving distance of where the bodies were discovered. Maybe something has to do with the communities surrounding the victims. What if this person was getting revenge for something but taking it out on the community not the actual individual?” she pondered out loud.

“Well that would only work if-” he gasped as realization swept across his face. She had noticed during the last few hours with him that his face was much more expressive when he was focusing is attention elsewhere. He got up and practically ran out the door yelling behind him “Hurry up Clara! We don’t have much time!” She grabbed her coat and ran after him. Four hours later and she waiting behind an ambulance surrounded by several cop cars all lights flashing as they apprehended the killer.

“So” she said as Sherlock approached “All in a day’s work” her lips turning upward slightly in a grin.

“It was relatively easy once I realized that each victim was a family member of a particular factory worker. This smaller company was overthrown by the large company and their workers lost everything when they took over the remaining production” he said hastily “Easy really, revenge and sentiment in this case.”

“Oh yea so easy that you needed my help” she joked.

“I told you I enjoy company when I am thinking” he replied genuinely.

“Ok, ok” she sighed “So what now?”

“Well, I know a good place down the road for chips. Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Starving” she smiled as they walked down the road toward the shop. She hadn’t realized it was a stand not an actual restaurant so she let Sherlock lead. He ordered their food and told her to hail a cab. A short cab ride later and she found herself eating chips in Sherlock’s flat watching as he plucked at his violin. She had convinced him to eat a few bites of the copious amounts he purchased and when she was finished she placed the left overs in his fridge, careful to avoid the varying body parts. She returned to the living room to find Sherlock had moved onto his laptop and was busy typing away. She began to feel awkward not knowing what to do or where to sit. She fidgeted in place for half a second and then blushed returning to the kitchen placing fresh water in the pot and turning the burner on.

“So was that embarrassment or arousal?” she heard from the living room.

 _“Damn,”_ she thought to herself. She had been so sure he was engrossed in his laptop that he hadn’t noticed.

“Umm I don’t know. It was more just a reaction because I didn’t know what to do. I felt awkward.” She replied focusing all her efforts on making tea. “Does this mean the experiment is still going on?”

“Of course it is. Why would you think it’s ended?” Sherlock replied.

“I don’t know it’s just been quite a while since you asked me anything and I just assumed you got bored or something” she said “listen I wanted to help but I don’t think I can keep doing this experiment.”

“And why is that?” he said as he walked into the kitchen.

“I just can’t repeat what happened in my flat, ok? I mean it’s just not ok. To do that to someone then just leave and expect them to act normally, I can’t act normally after that” she spit out rapidly “I mean it’s not like I didn’t like it. It was nice, well more than nice-”she stopped suddenly realizing she had said more than she meant too.

 _“Shit now he’s going to think I’m crazy”_ she thought to her self “ _I’m so stupid. Why can’t I just shut up when I need to?”_ She realized that she had been blushing while she was arguing in her head. She looked around and found Sherlock’s piercing gaze just inches from her face. He was studying her and that only made her blush more. She turned away from him and drew her attention back to making the now cold tea. She dumped the cups out into the sink and sighed. She decided that being completely honest about how she felt was the best option especially since Sherlock would know if she was lying.

“I can’t keep doing it because I can’t turn off my emotions and needs like you can. I am finding myself on a slippery slope with my feelings for you and I don’t want – you know what never mind. I’m just going to go. Thanks for the chips” she said anxiety creeping into her mind as she spoke. She backed away from him toward the door grabbing her jacket as she went. “I would love to help but I can’t keep doing it like this. I’ll see you soon ok?”

She began to open the door in the kitchen to leave his flat but found it was locked. In order to leave she had to cross Sherlock’s path and use the living room door. She glanced in his direction her eyes catching his as he watched her with a slight smirk on his face. She blushed deeply again and bolted past him into the living room headed for the door as fast as she could manage without looking desperate.

“So that I take it was embarrassment again?” he spoke following her into the living room. She turned and looked right at him stating, “Yes it was. I don’t know how you do it but you make me feel like the dumbest person in the world when I’m around you. When I feel this ignorant and helpless I tend to blush ok?”

He stepped closer to her twisting is head as he studied her. She instantly began to giggle a slight pink twinge returning to her cheeks.

“There! What was that for? There was nothing embarrassing happening nor arousing, why did you blush that time?” he exclaimed his excitement momentarily bursting through his calm façade.

She giggled again as she watched him turn his head the complete opposite direction trying to figure her out.

“You look ridiculous! Your face is like a cat tilting this way and that. It’s hilarious” she said breaking out into full laughter as her comment induced another head tilt in the man standing before her.

“So humor also plays a part… hmmm” he mumbled. He turned away from her then and went back to his laptop and began typing away. She stood in the doorway poised to leave yet her curiosity got the best of her and she walked over behind Sherlock to read what he was typing. He stiffened when she leaned down so that she could read what he had written. She smirked and lowered her face closer to his neck so that she was at the same level as him. She could smell his soap and she absently turned her face toward his neck breathing him in. She watched him squirm as she let out her breath against his neck.

She turned her head back to the computer and whispered, “So what is this you are working on about me?” Her cheek was so close to him she could feel the head coming off his skin.

“Well it’s currently a table I am constructing to try and figure out what situations cause the blushing reaction and in what context they occur but the newest addition of humor just changed three of my data polls.” he answered shaking his head slightly, as if her reactions were a mystery and an irritation at the same time.

“Well I’m sorry I complicated your experiment” she said suddenly aware of how much she wanted to wrap her arms around him. She watched as he began to type again not moving away from him. She wasn’t watching what he was typing but was instead focusing her attention on his breathing and how his body moved under that expensive suit. She had flashbacks to her apartment and his strong hands and arms. She wanted to be close to him, to continue with where he left her last time. She realized how close to his neck she had wandered while she was lost in her daydream. She also noticed that his head was turned incrementally toward her as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Without thinking she leaned in and placed a tender kiss on his neck just under his ear. She felt him jump slightly as her lips touched his skin. She smiled, not taking her mouth off his neck and she kissed him again, soft and light touches trailing down his neck toward the collar of his shirt. She wanted so much to continue but forced herself to stop.

She knew how much her actions probably shocked him and she decided she liked having surprised this brilliant man. She stood up abruptly, taking a step back and walked out the flat without a word. She smiled the whole cab ride home thinking about how confused Sherlock looked as she walked out the door.


End file.
